Fluttering in Ear: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

The human ear is one of the most sensitive parts of our body and performs the most crucial function of hearing. Proper care is needed to ensure that you do not suffer from any problem related to ears. However, at one point in your life or another, you can undergo some medical conditions related to your ears. These problems can be internal or external.

One such problem related to the inner side of the ears is the fluttering sound in the ear. In medical terms, this problem is known as Pulsatile Tinnitus or just Tinnitus. This problem can become very problematic for you and impact your professional and personal life. In this article, we will deal with the causes, symptoms, and treatments related to the fluttering sound in the ears.

Fluttering in Ear

Fluttering in the ear is a strange sensation inside the ear, and it is widespread nowadays. Fluttering is not a medical condition itself but can happen due to other problems in the body. It does not seriously affect your health but can be very annoying and often leads to irritation and stress. It impacts the sleeping routine, reduces productivity and decreases your focus on other things in life. Tinnitus can worsen as the person gets old. It can be improved with the help of treatment; without proper treatment, it can prolong and become more problematic with time.

Symptoms of Fluttering

When you are experiencing a constant sound in your ears without the presence of any external noise, it is very annoying and gruesome. The continuous sounds in your ear cause irritation and mood swings. Symptoms of fluttering usually include sounds like the following

Clicking

Hissing

Ringing

Beeping

Buzzing

Humming

Roaring

These noises can vary from high to low in a different individual. You can experience these sounds either in one ear or in both ears at one point in time. It is also possible that you hear these sounds occasionally and during a particular time of the day. Sometimes the frequency of these irritating sounds can go so high that they can cause you problem hearing to external sounds and disturb your concentration.

Causes of Fluttering

Fluttering can happen due to a lot of reasons, some being minor and some being serious. In most of the cases, the exact symptoms are unknown. However, most of the medical studies reveal that fluttering happens due to the following reasons.

High Blood Pressure – High blood pressure is one of the most commons causes behind fluttering in ears. High blood pressure increases the blood flow towards the delicate structures of the ear which causes the occurrence of fluttering sounds in the ear. High stress, increased levels of alcohol, caffeine can make tinnitus more serious and noticeable.

Sinus Infections – Another common cause of fluttering is a sinus infection. It happens due to bacterial infection and can cause sinus to get filled with fluids. This can lead to increase pressure in the face can lead to fluttering in ears. Fluttering sounds along sinus infection can be more problematic due to sinus pain and infections. It can also give you a headache and make you feel dizzy and nauseous.

Exposure to Loud Noises – Exposure to loud noises for elongated periods can also become a cause of fluttering in ears. Sounds of heavy equipment, machinery, and firearms are a common cause behind fluttering. Continuous exposure to loud music in headphones, hands-free and car music system can also become a cause of tinnitus. Attending a loud concert can also become the reason behind short-term fluttering in ears.

Earwax Blockage – Blockage of ear wax inside ears is a significant reason behind fluttering in ears. Earwax protects the inner side of the ear by trapping dust particles and inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside the delicate structure of ears. When the quantity of wax increases on the surface of the eardrum, it can lead to the production of fluttering sounds inside your ears.

Drugs or Medications – Use of drugs can also become a reason behind this sensation indie the ears. A lot of over the counter drugs can cause some damage to auditory nerves and cause you to hear the fluttering sounds in your ears. Abuse of drugs can alter the blood pressure, and it can also lead to fluttering in ears.

Dysfunction in Eustachian Tube – Eustachian tube is one of the most important pasts in the human ear. It helps in maintaining the internal and external pressure of the air. When you visit hilly areas, you experience popping sounds in the ears due to the changes in pressure inside the Eustachian tube. When there is a Eustachian tube problem due to respiratory infection or allergic reaction, you are prone to hear fluttering sounds inside your ears.

A change in Ear Bones Structure – Otosclerosis is a condition that characterizes some changes in the tiny bones inside your ears. It can also affect your hearing capabilities and lead to fluttering in ears. It is a genetical disorder.

Thyroid Gland – Thyroid gland is an essential gland in your body and is involved in the regulation of key substances inside your body. In some cases, issues with the working of the thyroid gland can give rise to fluttering in ears.

Injuries to Ears – Sometimes any injury resulting due to accident or falling and hurting your ears can also become the reason of fluttering. Fluttering caused due to this may be of temporary or permanent nature as it depends upon the impact and the damage caused by the effect. Injury to the head and neck can also lead to fluttering sounds in the ears.

Muscle Spasm in the Inner Ears – Muscle spasms in the inner ear can also lead to fluttering in the ear.

Risk Factors

It is also pertinent to highlight some of the risk factors associated with tinnitus

Loud Noise Exposure – The more the exposure to loud noise, the more is the risk of suffering from this problem.

Sex – Men are more likely to develop tinnitus.

Age Factor – Old people are at more risk of developing tinnitus

Smokers – Smokers are at high risk of suffering from tinnitus.

Heart Problems – People who are suffering from heart diseases are more susceptible to tinnitus. It happens due to their high blood pressure problem.

Problems Associated with Fluttering

People who are suffering from fluttering in ears are likely to suffer from the following problems. Although the effects may vary from one individual to another, the most common problems indicated by research are

Sleep loss

Fatigue

Stress and anxiety

Memory problems

General irritation and concentration problems

Treatment for Fluttering in Ears

Fluttering can be annoying for you in your routine. It is better to try some home remedies and adopt some prevention measures before you visit a doctor. Following are the best ways that you can apply to get rid of this problem.

Maintaining Blood Pressure – Maintaining blood pressure in the normal range is very vital for your health. Normal blood pressure can also help in dealing with fluttering in ears. You can keep your blood pressure in check by eating healthy, doing exercises daily, giving up smoking and alcohol.

Steam – Steam helps in dealing with sinus congestion and in the process alleviates fluttering in ears. Steam helps in opening up of blocked sinus vessels which is one of the causes of flapping in ears.

Changes in Eating Habits – A change in eating habits can also reduce fluttering in your ears. When you eat healthily, you live healthily. Drinking plenty of water daily helps in avoiding muscles spasms in neck and head that may lead to tinnitus. Providing your body with needed nutrients also help in reducing the fluttering in-ears as they avoid muscle spasms in the ears.

Vinegar – If fluttering is caused by an infection an inflammation inside your ears, then vinegar can help you deal with it as it is high in anti0inflammatory qualities. You can mix two spoons of apple cider vinegar in one spoon of honey and mix it in warm water. Drinking it in the morning over an empty stomach helps a lot.

Garlic – If the fluttering is caused by high blood pressure, then increasing the intake of garlic will keep the blood pressure in check. Garlic is beneficial in tinnitus if it is used externally. This can be done by mixing a small amount of garlic juice in a tablespoon of sesame oil and applying it on the ear canals. You can obtain the garlic juice by crushing two cloves of garlic. This method is recommended to be used at the night time before going to bed.

Saline Solution – Fluttering is caused by sinus infection. Apart from steam, a saline solution is a very effective method to deal with a sinus problem and fluttering caused due to it. Saline solution is readily available in grocery stores or medical stores. You can also make a saline solution by yourself through mixing a teaspoon of salt, glycerol in warm water and then pour it in a nasal spray bottle. Inject the spray in your nostril until you can feel it in your throat.

Lifestyle Changes – A better and healthy lifestyle can also lead to the betterment of fluttering in the ears, as it reduces the chances of the occurrence of the causes of fluttering.

Therapies – If the home remedies do not work, you can also try some treatments like sound therapy, relaxation therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Sound therapy helps to deal with fluttering by selecting a sound that is pleasant for you to hear, you can play this sound in your headphone or hands-free at deficient volume. Relaxation therapy enables you to get accustomed to the fluttering sound, so you do not get irritated by the unpleasant sounds in your ears whereas Cognitive behavioral therapy aims to change the way you react to the obnoxious sound drumming in your ears all the time. Your doctor will be able to help you in selecting the best therapy.

Injection of Botulinum Toxin – It is only recommended for those people who have a severe fluttering problem and is only to be administered upon the recommendation of the doctor and by medical staff only.

Preventive Measures – Apart from the treatments mentioned above, general preventive measures are also essential to adopt. If you are working at a place where you have to experience continuous loud sounds, you must use hearing protection all the times. Keeping the volume low in your headphones and while watching TV or listening to songs also helps in the security of your ears and avoiding fluttering.

Conclusion

Fluttering, in the beginning, do not look like a severe problem. Often it goes away without any treatment, and you feel relaxed and better. But it can come back anytime and cause your more damage. We are sure that you will be able to solve this problem by own after reading our well-researched article. However, if the problem persists after treating yourself, we recommend that you see a doctor and discuss it with him.

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1 thought on “Fluttering in Ear: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments”

I’ve just read your article. I’m currently going through the fluttering as we speak. Or at least I think I am. I have Tinnitus from an ear infection and apparently from what the ENT told me it was left there because I was seen by different Doctors who decided to try different medicines rather than referring me to them (ENT) to have the ear cleaned had left me with a high pitched ringing/noise but now over the last few days I’ve had this annoying fluttering sensation. If I put my finger in my ear and put some pressure the fluttering feels like it stops although it continues to sound like its fluttering but the annoyance is less when I put pressure in the ear canal.

I’m wondering if the injections are a good treatment for it. I have another ENT appointment June 4th and will be asking for their help. I was coping with the high pitched noise but this new fluttering is killing me and driving me to the brink. So I’m basically asking if this will last, if the injections are a good way to deal with it and if so how would I go about getting the injection or do you know how I could ask (I’m in the UK and using the NHS).